Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, Grant of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance

2026-11072, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 214; Side Impact Protection; Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 305a; Electric-Powered Vehicles: Electric Powertrain Integrity; Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 307; Fuel System Integrity of Hydrogen Vehicles

Starting July 6, 2026, car makers must follow updated safety rules that clean up old, outdated side-impact protection standards and fix related rules for electric and hydrogen vehicles. These changes make the rules clearer without adding new costs or big changes for manufacturers. If anyone wants to challenge the updates, they have until July 20, 2026, to speak up.

2026-08144, Administrative Rulemaking, Guidance, and Enforcement Procedures

The Department of Transportation is bringing back and improving its rules for making new policies, giving guidance, and enforcing laws. This affects anyone involved in transportation regulations, making the process clearer and more consistent. These changes kick in on May 27, 2026, aiming to save time and avoid confusion without adding extra costs.

2026-05023, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 103 and FMVSS No. 104 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles; Incorporation by Reference

NHTSA is updating rules for windshield defrosting, defogging, wiping, and washing to better fit self-driving cars that don’t have steering wheels or pedals. These cars won’t have to follow old rules meant for human drivers, cutting costs and unnecessary requirements without hurting safety. The changes kick in about six months after the final rule, and manufacturers can still add these features if they want.

2026-05024, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Modernization of FMVSS No. 102 To Accommodate ADS-Equipped Vehicles

NHTSA wants to update a safety rule to help self-driving cars that don’t have steering wheels or gear shifts. They’re proposing to remove the need for a gear position display in these automated vehicles, cutting costs without hurting safety. If you have thoughts, speak up by April 15, 2026!

2025-22674, Public Hearing for Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards: The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicle Rule III for Model Years 2022 to 2031 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks

The government is holding a virtual public hearing on January 7, 2026, about new fuel economy rules for cars and light trucks from 2022 to 2031. These rules aim to keep vehicles safer and more affordable while improving fuel efficiency. If you care about how much gas your car uses or how much you pay at the pump, this is your chance to speak up before the rules are finalized.

2026-17469, Spartan Fire, LLC, Receipt of Petition for Decision of Inconsequential Noncompliance

Spartan Fire, LLC (Spartan) has determined that certain model year (MY) 2015-2023 Spartan Fire Gladiator and Spartan Fire Metro Star emergency vehicles do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment. Spartan filed a noncompliance report dated January 28, 2025, and subsequently petitioned NHTSA (the "Agency") on February 18, 2025, for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. This document announces receipt of Spartan's petition.

Previous: 2026-17610, Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; State and EIS Record Keeping and Reporting Requirements Under Part C

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the Department is proposing an extension without change of a currently approved information collection request (ICR).

Next: 2026-17612, Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Pulsating Stop Lamps, Flashing Lights, and Distance Perception

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This document describes a new collection of information for which NHTSA intends to seek OMB approval titled "Pulsating Stop Lamps, Flashing Lights, and Distance Perception." A Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this information collection was published on May 26, 2026. Three comments were received in response, providing support for the research and recommending consideration for motorcycles and international regulations related to "emergency stop signals." While these topics are out of scope for this research, NHTSA plans to incorporate the recommended topics into the final report by including them in the literature review and background sections. Incorporation of these inputs into the study does not materially impact the burden on the participants, and therefore the participant burden estimate included in the 60-day notice remains unchanged.